For sweetened condensed milk: Blend 1/3 cup boiling water, softened butter, powdered milk, and vanilla together with a hand mixer until thick and smooth. (I use it right away as this gets VERY thick when cold. If you do chill it, microwave for a couple seconds to lukewarm and stir. May need to thin by adding a couple tablespoons of milk.)
For mousse: Whip together sugar free sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest. Fold in the whipped topping or whipped cream. Spoon into individual dessert dishes (or into a prepared crust.) Garnish with graham cracker crumbs. Makes six servings.

In a medium bowl beat the Ricotta with the eggs. Beat in the flour, salt, milk, vanilla, and Splenda. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Coat with vegetable cooking spray when hot. Pour in 2 tablespoons of batter and swirl the pan to coat the entire surface in a thin layer. Allow to cook, without turning, until completely done. The top should be no longer shiny and when you touch it it’s not wet. The bottom will be have a very slight golden color. If it’s too dark, lower the heat. (These can be impossible to flip and they don’t need to be, so you don’t have try!) Gently loosen the edges with a spatula and slide out of the pan onto a plate. Very lightly spray the top with vegetable spray – this way you can stack them on top of each other.

Lightly coat the pan with cooking spray before each crepe. Proceed with above directions until batter is gone. Allow the crepes to cool to room temperature and then wrap the plate tightly with plastic wrap. These keep well in the fridge – unfilled – for several days.

In a medium bowl beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the half & half, pudding powder, vanilla, and Splenda. If it becomes too thick add more half & half. It should have the consistency of the ‘whipped’ cream cheese you can buy in a tub. Not soft like pudding, but not as hard as regular cream cheese.

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Extras:
Fresh or frozen berries
Chocolate sauce
Whipped cream

To assemble blintzes: Place 1 tablespoon of the filling on the edge of the crepe. Fold the crepe in half over the filling dollop and then fold the empty side over the dollop so that it is folded in fourths. Place two crepes on each plate and scatter with berries, drizzle with chocolate sauce and top with whipped cream. Makes 6 servings (2 blintzes each)

Chocolate and cake in the same dessert is wonderful. Add in some cool, wintery peppermint-laced cream filling and let’s just swoon and get it over with, shall we?!

So pretty!

Your holiday table will love you for the effort you put forth to make this. (And it’s not hard – don’t be scared of a cake roll. If something awful happens when you try to re-roll it, just break it up in chunks, place in beautiful goblets, add a little more cream on the top and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies. No one will guess…or even care!!)

This is best made at least a day in advance. The cake becomes moist and melts in your mouth and the filling more mellow and perfect!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11×15 inch jelly roll pan with vegetable cooking spray and line the bottom with waxed or parchment paper. Coat paper with cooking spray.

Lay a clean kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle it with 1/4 cup powdered sugar or powdered Whey Low. (Most of this will stay on the towel.)

In a small bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Separate the eggs and, with very clean beaters, whip the whites with 1/4 cup of the Whey Low/maltitol, until soft peaks form. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup Whey Low for two minutes, until thick and light yellow. Beat in the water and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture in two batches, just until combined and smooth. Gently stir in half of the egg whites. Carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites, just until no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 8-10 minutes, or just until cake springs back when touched lightly. Do not overbake! An over-done cake will crack when you try to roll it.

Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and invert cake onto towel. Carefully remove paper. Starting on the short end, slowly roll the cake AND the towel. Place on a wire rack and cool completely – at least 30 minutes.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese with the Splenda and peppermint extract until smooth. Beat in whipped cream or Cool Whip until combined. Stir in crushed candies. Fold in the food coloring, leaving a few streaks…it will look like a candy cane!

Gently unroll the cake, leaving it on the towel. Don’t force it to lay completely flat. Spread the filling evenly over the cake, and slowly re-roll as before. If it cracks don’t panic…you can probably lay that part on the plate and no one will be the wiser!

Sprinkle with cocoa powder and a little powdered sugar, if desired. Chill for at least overnight. This is best made a day ahead…seriously!Makes 16 servings.

In a medium bowl combine cracker/cookie crumbs, Splenda granular, and melted butter. Pat into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Wrap pan in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 mintues.

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In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until softened. Beat in Splenda Granular, lemon juice, lemon zest, sweet potatoes, vanilla, spices, and cream. Beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Pour filling into prepared crust.

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Return to oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until set on the edgess and the very middle is still jiggly. (Cover loosely with foil after 30 minutes, if you don’t want it colored).

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Remove from oven to a wire rack. Cool for 15 minutes; run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen, but do not remove sides of pan; cool completely. Remove sides of pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for 5 hours or, preferable, overnight. Makes 20 servings.

The caramel isn’t needed for this to be a great success…but it does add a festive Holiday sort of touch, don’t you think?! I used a fabulous product called Cinnamon Bliss, but any sugar free caramel sauce will work.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray and wrap a piece of aluminum foil around the bottom and up the sides. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine the cracker crumbs, Splenda, and cinnamon. Stir in the melted butter and pour into the prepared pan. Firmly press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool while making the filling.

In a large bowl beat the softened cream cheese with the Splenda until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, vanilla, cream, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg just until blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, just until incorporated. Pour into prepared crust. Drop Cinnamon Bliss or caramel sauce in tablespoons over the top of the cake. With a butter knife carefully swirl into batter, without touching the bottom crust or mixing too much. Bake for 1 hour, or until the sides are firm and the very middle is still jiggly. You may want to cover loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes to prevent the cake from becoming too dark.

Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Carefully run a sharp knife around the cake in the pan to loosen and continue to cool completely without removing the sides. When completely cool remove sides of pan and cover tightly. Chill for several hours or, preferably, overnight. Makes 16 servings.

I found this recipe on the back of some package and can’t remember where. I modified it to be no-sugar-added and it’s a winner. Easy, and quick, just a little different and a great addition to your holiday table.

In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, half & half, 2 tablespoons of the Splenda, and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in thawed whipped topping. Carefully spread mixture into crust. (You can also layer this in pretty bowls or glasses.)

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Using the same bowl combine milk and pudding mix pumpkin puree and beat until thickened. Beat in Splenda and spices. Pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Makes 10 servings.